The 13th Sign of the Zodiac
There has been discussion over how astrology must change since a "recent discovery" now shows there are 13th signs on the zodiac instead of 12. However, records show many ancient and modern civilizations already knew the Sun, moon, and planets actually traveled across 13 different constellations. The reasons they kept it to just 12 we will discuss later - first, however, let us explore the 13th sign on the ecliptic.
OPHIUCHUS - the Serpent Holder
Just above the constellation Scorpio is a very large constellation called the Serpent Holder. Technically it is two constellations, one the man (Ophiuchus) and the other the serpent (Serpens) of which there are two parts: the head (Caput) and tail (Cauda). Both legs and feet of Ophiuchus reach across the path that the Sun, Moon, and planets travel - so technically is part of the ecliptic as well.
Ophiuchus looks like a voodoo doctor holding two pieces of a snake that has been cut in two. To speak of the Serpent Holder as a doctor has its foundation in Greek mythology. The figure is related to Asklepios, the Greek god of medicine, who can be traced back to the Egyptian Imhotep (about 2,900 BC), an eminent physician and architect. Imhotep also has the honor of being the first man of science mentioned in recorded history. Ophiuchus is thus the only one of the entire 88 constellations in the sky that represents a historical person.
In Greek mythology, Asklepios was originally a mortal physician who never lost a patient by death. This alarmed Hades, god of the Dead, who feared unemployment should Asklepios become too popular. There was also indications the successful doctor was on the path to being a god himself. While Asklepios was trying to revive Orion (who was just killed by a scorpion), Hades prevailed upon his brother Zeus to liquidate Asklepios with a thunderbolt. In recognition of his merits, however, Asklepios was put into the sky as a constellation (which is now the Serpent Holder) near the scorpion but on the opposite side of the sky from Orion. This 'opposite' placement was to avoid any further chance of the doctor meeting (and reviving) Orion again, and is why when you see one of these constellations in the sky, you can not see the other.
To be a member of the..."Zodiac Club"
If the path of the planets do indeed cross over part of the Serpent Holder, why then, is this famous doctor not a constellation of the zodiac? Was he experiencing 'discrimination' by the gods simply because he was mortal? Or was it because no one wanted to have 13 signs, since this number in many cultures was considered unlucky? Both of these answers are likely possibilities, and it may be these two cultural reasons - in combination with others - are what kept the doctor out of the "zodiac club".
One technical reason contributing to the exclusion of the Serpent Holder from the zodiac is the fact that only a very small part of this constellation (his feet, basically) actually touch the ecliptic. In the diagram, you can see the Serpent Holder is a very large constellation, and the area that actually crosses the ecliptic is only a tiny percentage of the entire star sign.
So, it seems rather than letting the Serpent Holder "put his foot into the door" (so to speak) and let that count as being another constellation - the ancients decided instead to give the sign Scorpio special attributes, to account for the sharing of space with the great doctor. If you are a Scorpio, you may want to read up on Imhotep of Egypt and Asklepios of Greek mythology, to see the foundations that created some of the descriptions for Scorpio.
In several ways, elements of the Serpent Holder have been transferred to Scorpio, such as Scorpio's association with medicine. There are also indications that is "overlapping" of two zodiac signs in one are is why there are 3 different "levels" of a Scorpio's existence. You may notice in some books Scorpio is often referred to as three distinct types: a scorpion, an eagle, and a dove. Actually each of these three types first related to the 3 different 'phases' when a planet moves across Scorpio.
The first phase is when the Sun, Moon, or planet moved across the first 10° of Scorpio (the claws) - and those born during this phase were thought to have a scorpion nature. The next phase, or next 10°, was where the feet of the Serpent Holder intersect the ecliptic, and those born with the Sun, Moon, or planet here was the "eagle type" of Scorpio. The final phase was when the Sun, Moon, or planet was in the last 10° of the Scorpio (the tail), and this was considered the area of the "dove type" of Scorpio. (It was from this division that laterastrologers began dividing the other signs into 3 different 10° segments (decadents), giving these attributes as well!)
Since only 12 zodiac signs were used when ancient astrologers used sidereal astrology
(where the Sun, Moon, and planet positions are behind the actual constellation), only
12signs were then carried over when many switched over to using tropical astrology.
Unlesssome lost ancient writings on the matter are uncovered somewhere in the near
future, or someone develops a time machine so we may go back and do some
investigative research - we may never know the real reasons why the ancients excluded
the doctor from the "zodiac club".
Back to:Home Page
Back to:Technical Page
© 1997 astrodavid@hotmail.com
Get your own Free Home Page